# Abstaining from alcohol and cannabis before surgery **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [December 24, 2023, 6:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/abstaining-from-alcohol-and-cannabis-before-surgery/995089 "2023-12-24T18:50:49Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 8\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![anny\_m](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/96bed5/32.png) [@anny\_m](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/anny_m)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 2023, 6:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/abstaining-from-alcohol-and-cannabis-before-surgery/995089/1 "2023-12-24T18:50:49Z")
My husband is scheduled for surgery to repair a hernia in about a month. He’s already had the pre-surgical appointment. At the appointment he was given the usual pre-surgery instructions. The nurse had handwritten on the page of instructions, “No alcohol or cannabis for a week before the procedure.” OK, I understand not imbibing for a day or two before surgery, but a full week? Is it really necessary? ---
**Author:** ![Duckster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/duckster/32/1244_2.png) [@Duckster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Duckster)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 2023, 7:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/abstaining-from-alcohol-and-cannabis-before-surgery/995089/2 "2023-12-24T19:52:19Z")
> [@anny\_m](#): > > No alcohol or cannabis for a week before > **[Coming clean: Your anesthesiologist needs to know about marijuana use before...](https://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/coming-clean-your-anesthesiologist-needs-to-know-about-marijuana-use-before-surgery-2020011518642)** > > Regular marijuana users who need surgery should disclose their use ahead of the procedure, because of its effects on the body and on the anesthesia medications required for sedation. > ... > **[Cannabis and Surgery | Made for This Moment](https://www.asahq.org/madeforthismoment/preparing-for-surgery/risks/cannabis-surgery-made-moment/)** > > Telling your anesthesiologist about your use of cannabis— including marijuana, or “weed”—can be critical for your safety during and after surgery. ---
**Author:** ![markn\_1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f9ae1b/32.png) [@markn\_1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/markn_1)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 2023, 8:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/abstaining-from-alcohol-and-cannabis-before-surgery/995089/3 "2023-12-24T20:04:19Z")
The first article says “Regardless of how often you usually use marijuana, anesthesiologists agree that you should skip it completely on the day of surgery.” And the second article says “It is not advisable to smoke marijuana (often referred to as “weed” or “pot”) on the day of surgery.” Abstaining for a week does seem like overkill. Although both articles do say that you should tell your anesthesiologist how much you use and when you last used it. ---
**Author:** ![Broomstick](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/broomstick/32/246_2.png) [@Broomstick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Broomstick)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 2023, 8:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/abstaining-from-alcohol-and-cannabis-before-surgery/995089/4 "2023-12-24T20:29:13Z")
The metabolites of cannabis stay in body longer than people think - that’s why a urine test can detect it up to three weeks after your last dose. It may not be making you high but it very much is still present in your system. It’s not bizarre to think it might be having some effect, even if not psychoactive, for several takes after indulging. Assuming it’s a planned surgery I’d take the position better safe than sorry. Personally, I didn’t have any problems abstaining for a week prior to my major surgery in August. YMMV. ---
**Author:** ![Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/qadgop_the_mercotan/32/83_2.png) [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qadgop_the_Mercotan)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 2023, 8:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/abstaining-from-alcohol-and-cannabis-before-surgery/995089/5 "2023-12-24T20:39:13Z")
Addressing the alcohol portion of the OP, most surgeons recommend abstaining for _at least_ 48 hours, though more time without is better, with a week being preferred. Alcohol interferes with anesthesia, tends to inhibit blood clotting (not something you want during or after surgery), interacts poorly with a number of common peri- and post-op meds, and slows healing. And surprise DTs from sudden cessation of heavy drinking generally pops up 48-96 hours after stopping and can certainly spoil an operative procedure and result in the patient being turfed to the morgue after the surgery. ---
**Author:** ![spifflog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c5a1d2/32.png) [@spifflog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/spifflog)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 2023, 5:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/abstaining-from-alcohol-and-cannabis-before-surgery/995089/6 "2023-12-27T17:06:12Z")
Do you mean is it really necessary for your husband to be so addicted to booze and weed that he can’t swear it off 'but a full week" ?? If that really that much of a sacrifice that you want to push the envelope? ---
**Author:** ![anny\_m](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/96bed5/32.png) [@anny\_m](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/anny_m)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 2023, 7:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/abstaining-from-alcohol-and-cannabis-before-surgery/995089/7 "2023-12-27T19:59:42Z")
Boy, judgmental much? Wanting to know what scientific evidence there is for abstaining from alcohol and cannabis before surgery is not the same as being unable or unwilling to do so. My husband had hernia repair surgery in March of 2020. There was no 7-day restriction then, but that procedure was performed by a different surgeon. Is this restriction due to differing viewpoints by the 2 surgeons? Has some study been released in the past 4 years that makes abstention beneficial? The medical community has history of proclaiming the ingestion of certain things off limits, on the theory that they don’t know if it will help, but surely it couldn’t hurt. Except of course sometimes they are wrong. ---
**Author:** ![spifflog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c5a1d2/32.png) [@spifflog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/spifflog)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 2023, 9:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/abstaining-from-alcohol-and-cannabis-before-surgery/995089/8 "2023-12-27T21:22:17Z")
I was being judgmental, I’ll acknowledge. But your quote was: > [@anny\_m](#): > > OK, I understand not imbibing for a day or two before surgery, but a full week? Is it really necessary? That did come across (at least to me) seeming like that was asking too much of a scarifice. To me, if my wife was going under the knife, it would seem like an amazingly trivial sacrifice to make if there was any concern whatsoever. YMMV.